Aftermath
by Commander Bear
Summary: Aftermath: the consequences or after effects of a significant unpleasant event. / War. A boy. His father. Survival. / {Rewritten from After the War} / On hiatus \
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: The inspiration for this particular fic can be credited to four authors. First to Mission to Marzipan for many of his posts but especially for _Instead of Going Under_ which I highly recommend. Second to ArtemisIsis13 for _Nico, Meet Your Papa_ , the fic that inspired my now permanent headcanon for Nico's future. Third to Muse of Fanfiction for the fic _Children of the Underworld._ And lastly to, of course, Rick Riordan for creating the world of Percy Jackson in which I spend my time. I should also take this opportunity to say thank you to my beta, Athelia, for being unbelievably patient with me and letting me send at least six drafts per chapter. I never would have finished this without you. I would also like to thank Sky Rat, Enviouswriter1, and Kooliez for their suggestions and assistance. Lastly I would like to thank my friend Alex who put up with my endless headcanon rants, read countless drafts, and even recorded the podfic for me (if you are interested it can be found on my Ao3 page).  
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. All rights to Rick Riordan and Disney Hyperion.

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Nico startled awake. The sound filled the room, it filled his very thoughts, a great blaring siren that made his head spin. The room around him was still dark, shadows hulked in the corners waiting to strike, to drag him away by his ankles to where no one could find him.

"Rachel!" he yelled, sounding far more panicked than he cared to admit.

The sound screeched three more times before falling silent. Nico sighed in relief and shook his head. An alarm clock. That's all it was. Just an alarm clock. _Don't be so dramatic,_ he scolded. He rolled over, glancing at his own clock briefly before burying himself further under his duvet. There was still time for him to get just a little more sleep.

He could faintly hear the familiar slapping of Rachel Dare's bare feet as she crossed from hardwood to tiled floor followed by the sound of cupboard doors opening and closing in the kitchen.

"Rachel!" Nico called again without opening his eyes.

"What?" she yelled back. "Bring me food, please!" He smiled, forgetting in his drowsy delirium that Rachel Dare wouldn't bring him so much as a mouldy slice of cheese.

His door opened without warning and he squirmed as a draft washed over him. He peeked out over his duvet and yelped as what felt like a cushion collided with his head. When he stuck his head out again, he glowered. Rachel stood silhouetted in his doorway, oversize T-shirt hanging off one shoulder and frayed denim shorts just poking out under the shirt's hem. Her hair hung in curled tendrils, framing her face like a lion's mane.

"If you want food, get your scrawny ass out of bed!" She snapped. She had never been much of a morning person.

"Fine," Nico grumbled. He was awake anyway.

He slid out of bed, stretching and yawning before something soft and warm flew at his chest, startling him. Looking down, the sweatshirt he had left on his heater the night before was sitting at his feet.

"Put that on, di Angelo, there's Fruit Loops if you get up." Rolling her eyes, Rachel left, leaving Nico to wriggle into his sweater.

Nico had lived with Rachel for almost six months. After the war he had attempted to stay at camp, but the forced social interaction and physical activity had frustrated him. Will had been the one to stop him from returning to the Underworld and had instead directed him to the clipboard that hung on the wall in Chiron's office. A list of demigods looking for roommates in the city had been compiled, and Will had encouraged – forced – him to put his name down.

Three days later, Rachel had sought him out – apparently Rachel's dad had given her a penthouse for her seventeenth birthday, and while she hated living alone, she hated living with her parents even more. For some reason, she seemed to think that finding the gloomiest kid at camp would make her happier. They had moved in together a week later and hadn't had a problem since – unless you counted intermittent monster attacks as a problem, which neither of them did.

Nico heaved himself out of bed and trudged down the hall. The penthouse was huge, as most penthouses tended to be. The unused bedrooms had been converted into multiple studios for Rachel and there was even a game room where Nico spent countless hours playing Mario Kart. The kitchen at the end of the hall was part of the open concept living room that Rachel had thought up. The whole residence was modern in design with dark flooring and pale grey walls. Floor to ceiling windows lead to a terrace that looked over west Manhattan. Nico didn't really know or care much about home design, so he just appreciated the fact that it had four walls and air conditioning.

Rachel was sitting at the granite kitchen island with her iPad, flipping through her iTunes library for the perfect playlist for a Monday morning when Nico approached. Nico, who was quite fond of pretending that Monday mornings didn't exist, honestly didn't understand why she bothered.

"He lives," she noted as he neared her.

"Good morning to you too."

He glowered at the world around him. How dare it be so bright before his brain woke up – the white tiles reflecting sunlight from the wide windows were particularly offensive.

Rachel's iPad started spewing some peculiar music that Nico couldn't identify as he trudged over to the cupboards. He was very adept at shutting out unwanted noise; it was an invaluable skill when sharing a ship with Leo Valdez.

Nico winced at the pang of guilt when he thought of Leo. _If I had just realized…_ He shook his head; there was no use in dwelling on the past. It was something he had been working on – not holding grudges or wasting time brooding on what he knew he couldn't change. He just had to keep moving forward no matter what kind of shit life threw at him.

"Pass me a bowl," Rachel ordered from behind him.

Nico nodded mutely and retrieved two bowls from the cupboard and a box of cereal from the shelf. Rachel made grabby hands at the box and swiped it from him – not that he protested. He found that in the mornings, it was best to just go along with her.

Apart from Rachel's music, they ate in silence. She finished first as per usual. Nico was of the belief that Fruit Loops were to be savoured, not inhaled. Rachel however, was not.

Rachel pulled her tablet off the table and slipped it into her worn, paint stained backpack. "I'm going to class," she announced. Nico grunted in response, stuffing another spoonful of cereal in his mouth. Rolling her eyes as she made to leave, Rachel waved a hand over her shoulder, "I'll see you later, runt."

Nico listened to the sound of Rachel's footsteps as she padded over to the elevator, hearing her plop down on the faux leather ottoman to slip her shoes on before the elevator dinged, signalling its arrival.

There was quiet for a few moments which Nico took as indication that Rachel had left. He savoured the silence. It was a pleasant change to when Rachel was around. She always had music playing from either her iPad or one of those 24/7 music channels on the T.V or wanted to have some kind of in depth discussion about what she had been working on in her philosophy class that day. He didn't really mind spending time with her. She seemed to instinctively know when he needed space and when he was open to conversation. Still, sometimes the complete silence and solitude was welcome. He liked to be able to think.

By the time Nico had finished his cereal, the milk in his bowl had turned a horrible, radioactive pink. He tipped the remnants of his breakfast down the sink and set about tidying the kitchen. Rachel never seemed to put much stock in cleanliness but he liked his things to be neat. It made life much easier in the long run.

Honestly he wasn't sure how Rachel managed to make such a big mess when all she was eating was a bowl of cereal. There were crumbs everywhere and a splatter of milk had pooled near the edge of the island. He retrieved a dish cloth and wiped down the island, thinking on what he would actually do that day.

Generally there wasn't much variety in what Nico did with his time. He wasn't going to school despite being just fifteen - how could he, without so much as a valid birth certificate? He didn't have much of a social life and nor did he particularly want one. There were no wars to fight, no quests to complete, and no sisters to resurrect. He had pretty much run out of ideas as to what to do with his life. The most pressing projects he had to work on was completing Mario Kart on Rachel's game console and reading his way through the sci-fi section of the public library near the apartment complex. He could always settle in New Rome and join the Legion, he supposed. Perhaps the disciplined lifestyle would even be good for him, but it didn't quite strike him as what he really wanted to do with his life.

If he was honest with himself, he missed the adventure that went with being a demigod. Sure, it had sucked at times - most of the time, really - but there was always that sense that he was doing something for the greater good. Something that would have made Bianca proud. That would have made his mother proud. He had been working to help people, to save the world - after he had gotten over his inferiority complex and abandonment issues, anyway.

Nico was trudging his way to the game room, intent on resuming his battle against the fiend that was _Rainbow Road_ when he saw it. A cloud of black swirling mist was gathering itself into existence, in the corner. It drew in tendrils of darkness from the shadows and grew. It grew until it towered over Nico like a mountain. Silently, he cursed himself. Why, oh why, had he left his sword in his room? He took several steps backward, distancing himself from the phenomenon even as he was unwilling to turn his back on it. He hadn't seen something of this nature before and it unnerved him. It didn't give off the same feeling of urgency or danger that accompanied monster attacks but it definitely sent chills down Nico's spine.

The mist spun, condensing into a slimmer shape. Into a humanoid figure. The figure became more defined, shoulders grew sharper, arms and legs more easily distinguishable. Until finally the entirety of the figure was easily recognizable.

 _"Father?"_

Hades emerged from the fog. In his dark grey suit and black tie, he looked ready to attend a budget meeting. His black dress shoes were so finely polished Nico could have sworn he could see his own reflection in them. His black hair hung to his chin and framed his sharp features. As usual, Hades did not look pleased. His face was grim as he stepped into the apartment, fiddling with his gold cufflinks.

"Nico," he greeted, releasing his sleeve and letting his arm drop to his sides. "Shadows, horrible way to travel. If Zeus wasn't throwing a tantrum about the teleportation traffic…" he let the sentence trail off as he looked Nico up and down. Nico was suddenly painfully aware that he was still wearing his navy blue pyjamas. Hades raised an eyebrow in silent question, as if wondering why Nico hadn't immediately dropped to his knees when he appeared.

Nico gulped and looked up at his father apprehensively. Had he done anything to upset the gods recently? No. Was there anything he had been asked to do that he hadn't completed? Not that he remembered. So then why was he here? Why had Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, personally made an effort to visit him?

"There is no need to look quite so grim," Hades huffed. "One would think you aren't even pleased to see me."

"Sorry," said Nico, shaking his head as if it would help him clear his thoughts. "It's early, 'm still waking up I guess. What are you doing here?" And wow that had sounded a lot less rude in his head.

"I came to see you," Hades said simply, as though it should have been obvious.

Biting his tongue to hold back the number of sarcastic remarks lining up in his mind, Nico opted for the diplomatic approach instead. "…Here I am," he said at last. "Anything in particular you wanted?"

There was a long pause. They studied each other in silence for a moment, each sizing the other up, gauging their patience, their temper.

"You've healed well," Hades said finally, choosing to gloss over the awkward pause.

Nico resisted the urge to tear out his hair in frustration. "Look," he ground out through gritted teeth, "I really don't want to make small talk right now, so can we please get to the point? What do you want from me?"

Hades huffed again and, without asking Nico's approval, he strode past his son, to survey the rest of the apartment. Nico followed him reluctantly, unwilling to let a god loose in his friend's house. Hades slowly wandered through the kitchen, appraising his surroundings.

Nico slumped back down onto his stool. "What do you want?" he asked again.

Hades turned away from his inspection of the view outside of the kitchen window to look at him. His eyes flickering over him searchingly before replying. "I want you to return to the Underworld."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'd want to do that?"

"There are things we need to discuss."

"What things? Why can't we discuss them here?"

"I have a proposition for you."

"What kind of proposition?"

Hades glared at him. "Enough. You will return to the Underworld with me, end of discussion."

Hades made to seize Nico's wrist but he pulled away. "Don't pull that 'my word is final' crap on me. You can't intimidate me into going with you. Give me an actual reason."

"Do not fight me, Nico," Hades growled.

"I'm not," he argued, "but I'm not going without a reason."

"You are behaving like a child," Hades said dismissively.

Nico clenched his fists; he had learned the ins and outs of Hades' mind games when he had lived in the Underworld and this was just another one of Hades' attempts to diminish and anger him. He met his father's gaze unwaveringly, eyes burning with a new determination.

"I _like_ it here," he said firmly, "and I'm not leaving any time soon."

"We can discuss your return."

"'Discuss' it?" Nico asked in disbelief. "I don't think so."

"Fine," said Hades, looking increasingly annoyed, "if that is what you want."

Before Nico could so much as open his mouth, Hades flicked his wrist and the world turned black. He felt like was falling, tumbling through an abyss of pure nothingness before he landed hard with a thump. The impact sent a jarring ache through his spine that set his teeth on edge.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he whispered, gaping incredulously at the room around him. He was in his old room in Hades' palace. Everything was exactly as he had left it before the war. The bed was neatly made, a black and white picture of Bianca sat on the desk, and a loose deck of Mythomagic cards lay scattered under the bed.

Nico pushed himself angrily to his feet and growled in frustration, throwing himself on the black silk covers of his four-poster bed. "Are you kidding me?" he yelled. "I didn't agree to this!"

"I gave you the choice."

Nico turned his head in the direction of the voice. Hades stood beside the bed, looking stern. He didn't bother to sit up, just cocked his head slightly and glared.

"No you didn't. You were going to bring me here no matter what I said."

Hades didn't argue, which surprised Nico. Instead, he merely shrugged. "You could have come willingly," he said.

Nico narrowed his eyes and sat up. "Now that I'm here," he said cautiously, "what did you want to talk about?"

Hades' entire demeanour changed in an instant. All at once, he changed from being a strict father into a business man. Nico found the change both startling and intriguing all at once.

"Before we start, I have some conditions." Nico raised his eyebrows. "For the next several days, you will remain in the Underworld unless I give you permission to leave."

That set Nico's internal alarm bells off. He would need permission to leave?

"Uh, no," he said, sitting up. "I don't think so. There are some things we have in the mortal world; they're called rights. One of them includes not being held against our will."

"Unfortunately, you are no longer in the mortal world." Nico rolled his eyes and Hades' jaw tightened. "You have been spending far too much time with that Jackson. You are becoming almost as insolent as he has always been."

"For your information," Nico said matter-of-factly, "I've barely seen Percy since the war. Last I heard he was in Camp Jupiter for college. Even if he wasn't, it's not really any of your business anyway."

Hades shot him a dark look. "I would wipe that grin off your face if I were you. Persephone arrived yesterday, she won't be pleased to see you."

"She won't have to see me," said Nico, "I don't plan on staying long, and staying in this room is sounding like a good idea to me."

"I brought you here so you would start attending to your responsibilities," Hades growled. "Until you sort out your priorities, you will remain in the Underworld and do as you are told!"

Nico huffed and stood, slowly slipping off the edge of the bed and straightening. Glaring at his father, he opened his mouth to refuse but stopped at the sight of Hades' narrowed eyes. He could see the golden glow rimming his iris's. Hades was dangerously close to losing control. He was pushing his luck.

"Fine, what do I have to do first?"

"Dinner will be served in one hour," said Hades, turning around as he made to leave the room, "your stepmother and I will see you in the dining hall on time. I trust you remember your way around the palace?" Nico nodded reluctantly. "Good, do not be late."

As soon as Hades had vanished Nico felt the anger return with a vengeance. Really? Hades was so arrogant that he would just wander into Nico's home and uproot his life just for his own gain? Well, that did sound a lot like the Hades he knew but still, it was unfair. He hadn't even given him a real reason as to why he had to return to the Underworld so urgently. What could possibly be so important and yet so secret? Unless, oh gods, unless there was another child of Hades running around. But no, that didn't seem likely. Hades wouldn't bother contacting Nico about that unless he was needed for some kind of rescue mission and in that case he would have just come outright and said it. So what was it?

He resolved to find out at dinner. He would play along for the time being. Show up to the table on time, hold his tongue. He would wait until the opportune moment to press the issue. Until then, he needed to get ready. If he was going to play his part he would do it well. Let Hades think he had his obedient son back. The one who had spied on Camp Jupiter, who had protected Hades' only remaining daughter, and kept the Underworld's secrets even under torture. Then he would find out just what it was he was needed for. And how to escape it.

When Nico entered the dining hall an hour later, he was greeted by Hades' cold stare. He was leaning back in his chair at the head of the table surveying Nico with a steady gaze, as if he was ensuring that he wouldn't make a break for it. Persephone looked him up and down before briefly meeting his eyes with a look of disdain and turning back to changing the flower arrangement with a sniff. Nico's scruffiness probably didn't improve her opinion of him; old grey jeans and a black t-shirt didn't exactly scream formal dinner. It was not unlike what he had worn as a twelve-year-old, new to the palace and if the affect, or lack thereof, on his stepmother's mood was any indication, it still wasn't scoring him any points. He was lucky that he was still as short and scrawny as ever and that there had been some of his old clothes still left in the wardrobe or he would have been attending dinner in his PJs. Hades gave him a curt nod and gestured for him to take the empty seat to his right.

They sat in silence except for the clinking of cutlery for most of the meal. When they had all nearly finished the last course, Nico was beginning to hope that he could just sneak away after the meal and not have to endure another conversation with his father. Unfortunately his luck never had been that good.

"I will be assessing your powers after dinner." The sound of Hades' voice broke Nico's silent mantra of 'sit up straight, sit up straight, sit up straight', startling him into nearly dropping the goblet that he had lifted halfway to his lips. "To ensure that nothing was affected by your part in the war."

Nico paused. "I don't have my sword," he said carefully. Hades looked unconcerned and snapped his fingers once.

"There," he said, "it is waiting for you upstairs." Nico nodded, determined not to say or do anything that would either of the gods a reason to criticize him.

"A 'thank you' wouldn't kill you."

Nico glanced up. Persephone, leaning her cheek on her hand, had her amber eyes trained on him in an accusatory glare. Hades shot him a warning look which, in Nico's opinion, was completely unfair. He wasn't starting anything, Persephone was the one who had spoken to him first.

"Sorry," he muttered. He flicked his eyes to Hades. "Thank you."

That seemed to satisfy her for the moment and Nico returned his attention to his meal. When he had finished what was on his plate, he pushed out his chair making to stand, but Hades placed a firm hand on his shoulder and pulled him back into his seat.

"Not so fast, I still need to speak with you." Persephone smirked at Nico's plain discomfort. "I don't want any tricks during your assessment. I may have you shadow travel; you will travel to exactly where I tell you. You are already aware that you are not to leave the Underworld."

"And if I do leave?" Nico asked defiantly.

"If you do leave," said Hades arching an eyebrow, "you will be defying a direct order." Nico held Hades' gaze steadily, daring him to make a threat, but none came. "You may go."

Nico reported to the training room two hours after dinner. Even without being told, he knew that it was expected. It had been part of his routine when he had lived in the Underworld as a child, and it felt natural to slip back into the practice. He ate in bone crushing, awkward silence, always finished with a scathing comment from a god, and reported to training two hours later. It gave him enough time to digest and cool off from what was almost always a tense and frustrating meal. And besides that, Hades had ordered a test of Nico's strength for after lunch. And who was he, in the grand scheme of things, to refuse a god's wishes in his seat of power?

Normally, he would be greeted by some favoured demigod who had died centuries ago. Who it was always varied. Those spirits who were honoured with serving Hades in their death were always fighting for his favour. Sometimes Nico thought it was only to escape the boredom that would otherwise accompany them in death, it must be frustrating after a life of adventure, even if said adventure was often full of danger and tragedy. Whoever was in Hades' good graces on that particular day would likely be the one tasked with Nico's training that evening. On this night, however, it seemed things had changed.

Hades himself was waiting for him in the centre of the room. He wore no sword or armour, though Nico expected he wouldn't need the latter - he was no match for an elder god.

"Father," Nico greeted cautiously.

"Nico," said Hades, inclining his head slightly in acknowledgement. He beckoned Nico closer with a hand. "Come, we have much to do and very little time. I have work to do."

Nico approached slowly, with no small amount of trepidation. "What are we doing exactly? Sparring?"

Hades snorted. "Hardly. Irritating as you can sometimes be, I am not eager for your death."

Nico rolled his eyes, all visible hesitation vanishing in an instant. If it was a battle of wills Hades wanted, that was what he would get. Passive aggressive was Nico's forte. He was all for eye rolls, pointed looks and snide comments and two could play at this game.

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about," he said with a confidence he didn't feel.

Hades' eyes darted over him. "I'm sure…" He gestured to a nearby practice dummy. "Here. I assume you have not forgotten the basics."

Nico looked at him incredulously. A dummy? That was it? After all Nico had done, the wars he had fought, Hades expected him to prove himself on a dummy? Apparently so, as Hades raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Well? Begin, or do I need to remind you of how things are done in these sessions?"

Nico felt goosebumps rise on the exposed skin of his arms. He remembered his first time in the training room well. Although Hades was not as cruel as the stories and gossip made him seem, he was not a kind god, and had little patience for small boys who did not take kindly to being told what to do. When Nico had taken affront at being called "weak" even after emerging victorious from the Labyrinth, Hades had wasted no time in proving to him just how feeble he truly was when faced with the power of the eldest Olympian. The match had lasted less than thirty seconds, and Nico had borne the bruises for weeks following.

"No, father," Nico said exasperatedly.

"Then begin. I will see thirty repetitions before either of us take our leave. Do not keep me waiting."

"Thirty repetitions of what?" Nico asked. "Why does this even matter?"

"Anything," said Hades, "I want to see what you can do."

"Aren't you going to tell me what you wanted?" Nico asked, "I've done what you asked, now what?"

"Now," Hades growled, "you will do as you are told and I will judge your progress."

"Why can't you just tell me what it is?" Nico demanded. "If it concerns me, why won't you tell me?"

Hades eyes flashed. "Watch your tone, boy. Whether you are my son or not, I am still lord here." Nico clenched his jaw tightly, refusing to back down. "Perhaps," Hades continued, "if you have earned it, I will tell you when we are finished."

As frustrating as Hades was, Nico had to admit that this sudden interest was a welcome change from the icy silence he was used to. Normally Hades was content to ignore him as if he didn't even have a son but this unexpected attention... well, twelve-year-old Nico was jumping for joy. Besides, Hades had agreed to tell him what he wanted to know if he cooperated.

Nico drew his sword in one fluid, practiced motion and sank into a fighting stance facing the dummy. He glanced once at Hades for permission and stepped forward. He slashed at the figure viciously, his sword cutting a wide arc through the air around him. He stabbed and hacked, tearing the dummy to shreds. He threw himself into the motions, leaving no room for error, no chance of failing his father's expectations. Thirty repetitions later, Hades finally allowed him to stop.

"I am pleased with your progress," said Hades, ignoring Nico's glare. "After such a lengthy absence from your training, I was not expecting such a performance."

"I do better when I'm pissed off," Nico said shortly, between heaving breaths. "Are we done here?"

Tutting scornfully, Hades looked down the length of his nose to sneer at his son. "It appears I spoke too soon," he said, rather disdainfully, "but I suppose I should not be surprised. I confess, I am… disappointed. After such a demonstration, I was expecting more from you."

Resisting the urge to permanently send his father into the Underworld he so dearly loved, Nico scowled; apparently Hades still knew exactly how to push his buttons. "Fine," he bit out. "What do you want me to do next?"

Hades smirked, obviously quite pleased with Nico's sudden change. "You have proved yourself in combat," he mused, slowly circling Nico. Like a godsdamned vulture, Nico added in his head. "I must see the strength of your powers first hand."

Not even bothering to disguise his irritation, Nico huffed. "Can't you just sense things like that?" he asked. "Isn't that how you gods find powerful demigods?"

"Not with any degree of accuracy," Hades said haughtily as he looked his son up and down appraisingly. "At least, you had better hope not."

Ignoring Nico's furious glare, he waved a hand, and the earth shook. An army of creaking, skeletal warriors clawed their way out of the dirt. Nico's own hand instinctively went to his side, groping for the hilt of his sword, eyes widening when he felt his fingers close on empty space. Heart leaping to his throat, he whirled around, searching for it desperately, his eyes briefly landing on his father. He did a a double-take. The sword hung calmly from his left hand. Shifting his gaze from the sword to his father's eyes, Nico shot him a glare; dark brown clashing with pitch black as he opened his mouth to demand it back.

"No," Hades said, before Nico could speak, "you will do this unarmed."

"Father-"

"Go on," Hades prompted, "they will not wait forever."

Even as he spoke, the army advanced. Their empty gazes were locked in on Nico with a fierce intensity that he had not experienced since the war. And if he knew his father – which he was pretty sure he did – this was no picnic; they were out for blood. The group thinned themselves, spreading out until they encircled the demigod completely. Hades had vanished, spiriting himself away to spectate from the balcony above the advancing army.

Nico cursed and lifted his arms in front of him, shoving his hands out as though he were attempting to push down a wall. Grinning to himself despite his situation, Nico gave himself a mental pat on the back as a row of stalagmites erupted from the ground, creating a thick barrier around him.

One of the skeletons lunged, fighting to force itself through the opening. Determined not to give his father something else to hold over his head, Nico lashed out without thinking. His fist hit the skeleton with such force that the monster was thrown backwards into its comrades, knocking them down like tenpins in a bowling alley.

"Argh!" he yelled, shaking his hand. Life (or death) lesson: skulls were hard, decaying or not.

He didn't have time to think though, as another wave of skeletal soldiers crowded his defences. Nico dropped to one knee and plunged his fist down to the sanded floor. A great wave rippled through the ground, throwing the undead warriors into the air before gravity took over and they fell back down onto their allies. Still, that didn't seem to be enough as they just stood back up and kept on coming. Hearing the rattle of moving bones, Nico gritted his teeth and spun around to confront the source of the noise.

Behind him, a skeleton had succeeded in forcing its way through a narrow gap between the stalagmites and behind it, more were following. He was completely surrounded. Nico backed up, preparing to unleash another burst of energy but even as he was preparing to do so, he could tell it was too late. With every second he wasted gathering his strength, another enemy forced its way through.

Nico struggled as one of the skeletons seized him from behind, dragging him backwards into the crowd. He was being dragged under, crushed by the sheer number of monsters. He yelled; one loud, drawn out burst of sound that stunned even himself with its intensity.

"GO!" he roared.

It happened in an instant. The stalagmites shot back into the earth, the skeletons vanished where they stood, swallowed up by the stone floor, and the torn earth knit itself back together. And Nico was left on the ground, one knee propping him up as he leaned heavily on his arm.

 _Clap. Clap. Clap._

Nico whipped his head up to see Hades lazily strolling toward him, sword hilt tucked under his arm as he clapped slowly. "Very impressive."

Still panting heavily, Nico pushed himself to his feet. "You did it on purpose," he accused, eyes flashing with anger. "You deliberately made them resist my powers, didn't you?"

Hades shrugged and moved the sword back to his hand. "I pushed you. And you are unharmed, are you not? They barely touched you."

"It wasn't a fair fight."

"And yet, you still came out the victor." He offered Nico his sword. "Rest," he ordered. "You have one hour before your training resumes."

It seemed like days passed before Hades dismissed him, though Nico knew it was only a few hours. The training was brutal. Shadow travel had been next and Hades' barked order of "Faster!" still rang in his ears. Hades had ordered him to travel to wherever he pointed until he had been ready to pass out. Hades had pushed and pushed and pushed him until he was ready to collapse. He was just grateful that Hades had had the foresight to allow him some rest after the debacle with the skeletons. It was only when he had stumbled directly into Hades' chest on landing that his father grudgingly allowed him to leave.

Nico had practically had to drag himself up to the third floor to his room. He was exhausted. The physical strain of training was unfamiliar to him. He had been plunged straight back into his old regime without any thought to the year he had spent in relative inactivity.

Sighing in weary exhaustion, Nico collapsed on the bed. Sinking into the soft pillows, his eyes slid shut within seconds, the ache in his bones fading away into the recesses of his dreams. It never occurred to him that he still didn't know exactly why he had been summoned.

* * *

Post Script: I will take this opportunity to apologise for any inconsistencies in writing style between chapters. This fic is being edited, rewritten and uploaded over a period of several months. Thank you for your patience.


	2. Chapter 2

When Nico woke the room was in darkness. Only the flickering of the fires in the courtyard below offered any light to his room. He rolled over onto his side and fumbled around on the bedside table for the watch he'd left there. Truly, he was amazed that it hadn't run out of battery power in the time that he had been gone.

He found it, in the end, by knocking it to the floor. He swore under his breath and stretched out his arm for it, determined not to get out of bed to retrieve it. When he did find it it took him several moments of fiddling before he located the tiny button on the side of the watch. Pressing it, the screen illuminated itself in green, declaring that the time was ten forty seven exactly. He groaned and flung an arm across his face, his father would be expecting him to put in an appearance soon enough.

Nico made to push his blanket off of him but stopped short - he didn't have a blanket. He looked down at himself in disgust. He had fallen asleep on top of his covers and he was still wearing his sweaty clothes from the night before.

"Ugh," he grumbled. "Fantastic."

He pushed himself off the bed and stumbled his way through the dark to his bathroom.

Although Hades' palace bore a great resemblance to those of Ancient Greece, several improvements had been made since it's construction. It seemed that Hades or, more likely, Persephone had made adjustments to the palace as the mortal world had advanced its technology. Glass had been added to the windows in the upper chambers and some of the windows were smaller than one would expect from a Greek palace and seemed more reminiscent of the castles of medieval times. Nico could only assume that either Hades or Persephone had particularly liked that change in architectural style as they had also added an additional two floors, uncommon in a Greek styled building. Most importantly, however, they had made the addition of modern bathrooms. Nico himself was quite pleased about that specific alteration to the palace's original design - he did not like the idea of living without a flushing toilet.

Nico's bathroom was large, he supposed. A corner tub dominated one side of the room, accompanied by a narrow shower pressed against the wall beside it. Across from that sat a regular old toilet and a pedestal sink above which hung an ornate mirror. The last major occupant of the room was a tall, thin cabinet which stood beside the sink, just behind the door.

After peeling off his stinking clothes, Nico slipped into the shower and let the water fall. The hot water was refreshing and suddenly Nico found himself well and truly awake. His mind was alert and running through the events of the day before as he scrubbed away any remnants of the past evening's efforts. _If I just stay in here,_ he thought idly, _maybe he'll just leave me alone…_

He shook himself. No. He had to focus. The sooner he found out what Hades wanted, the sooner he'd be able to leave. With that in mind, Nico turned the water off and stepped out, wrapping a towel around himself as he went. Hopefully there would be some fresh clothes for him somewhere in his room.

Sure enough, when Nico checked the large, french armoire, there were rows of shirts and pants waiting for him. _Father thinks of everything._ It took some digging but Nico eventually found a shirt that wasn't for a formal dinner, and a pair of jeans that didn't look like they'd been lifted straight out of a magazine. Both in dark colours, thankfully.

When he finally left his room, Nico was starving. It was nearing lunchtime already and he hadn't had any breakfast. He snorted to himself; that'd make Will happy. After the final battle, when he had finally wrestled Nico into the infirmary, Will had gone on and on and on about how he never ate enough, was too skinny, et cetera. The more he heard about Nico missing meals, the less happy he would be.

So he made his way down to the kitchens. It was a long walk, really, but he didn't feel much like Shadow Travelling after the session with his father the night before. Rather than heading for one of the more open staircases, Nico hung a right just outside of his room and made his way to the end of the corridor were the servants' staircase was. It was a simple spiral staircase that ran the height of the palace to provide easier access. And it was normally deserted - the best chance he had of avoiding his father for another hour or so.

The kitchens were no great feat of modern design by any means. In truth, they were rather simple. With only the addition of a refrigerator and an oven, it seemed to have been skipped over for the most part when other sections of the palace had been modernized. Nico guessed that two gods didn't have much use for a kitchen as they didn't necessarily need to eat. Still, he appreciated that the fridge and cupboard were always well stocked and, if he looked hard enough, he could normally find a bag of chips somewhere in the room. It didn't take long to find himself something to eat and wolf it down. After that, he had nothing left to do but seek out his father. And he had a feeling he knew exactly where he was.

Hades throne room had ceased to intimidate Nico. He was well accustomed to the throne of human bones on the raised dais, the high ceiling and columns looming overhead. Even the skeletal soldiers didn't faze him; he knew they were only there for show. Really the only part of the room that made Nico uncomfortable was the god who occupied it. The main doors were guarded by skeleton soldiers. They jumped to attention when he approached, saluting sharply.

Nico moved to open the door but one of the skeletons seized his wrist. The guard shook his head and clattered something that was probably supposed to be speech at him.

"Okay..." Nico placated, shaking the hand off his arm. "What's the issue here?"

The skeleton clattered his teeth again. Nico took it to mean something along the lines of "he's busy" or "go away".

"Fine," he said. "I'll come back later."

The skeletons nodded in agreement and resumed their posts. Nico frowned at them over his shoulder as he left. Whatever Hades was doing he apparently didn't want Nico involved which could only mean that Nico would have to find out.

He slipped around the corner from the main doors and followed the corridor for a couple of yards until he met reached a single door. It was much less impressive than the towering double doors at the front of the room but it would do. A servant's entrance that Nico knew for a fact would only be guarded from the inside if at all. He pressed the door open just a crack.

The scene inside was a familiar one. Hades sat in his throne, head propped on one hand, watching the room with disinterest. He had traded his business suit from the day before for his usual black robes. Even from a distance, Nico could make out the faces of the tortured souls as the twisted and writhed through the folds in the material. Several guards stood behind Hades throne and one on either side of the doors. As Nico had predicted, the side entrance where he stood was unguarded. A petitioner knelt in the centre of the room. A hood was drawn up over its head and it wore misty grey robes. The whole figure was almost translucent. It was a shade. They were common enough in the Underworld. Hades employed them to run messages and handle simple disputes that didn't need his personal attention among other things. The particular shade in the throne room seemed to be getting more desperate, fighting to keep the god's attention.

"Yes, yes," Hades was saying in a bored voice, effectively cutting off what the shade had been trying to say. "Work load too heavy, pay too low...it is always the same complaints with your kind."

The shade spluttered, scrambling for how to reply. "My Lord-"

"I've heard this before," Hades interrupted, "and I have already said that perhaps if you did not spend so much of your day whining to me, you would not be having this problem."

"But-"

Hades waved a hand dismissively and several of the guards moved forward, herding the shade out of the room. They ignored its protests, as did Hades who had taken to examining his cuticles. He looked bored to Nico, which he supposed was unsurprising given the nature of his job. He spent countless hours doing paperwork, seeing to petty complaints, and handling simple management disputes. He was more a CEO than a god, except he didn't get vacation time.

Nico pushed the door wide and Hades glanced at him.

"Ah, Nico," he said, straightening, "I thought that was you eavesdropping at my door."

"I suppose you can't sense who is listening in on your conversations, either." Nico said sarcastically.

Hades' lip curled. "Again, not with any degree of accuracy. Might I ask why you felt the need to go skulking around side entrances?"

Nico folded his arms. "Door guards wouldn't let me in. I didn't feel like arguing with them."

"I needed to take care of several complaints without interruption and gave orders not to be disturbed. Evidently they did not realize that you were the exception to the rule."

"I am?" Nico asked, taken aback.

"Yes, I was hoping that you would come down earlier. It would have been useful to have your assistance."

"It would have?" Nico was completely bewildered. Since when was he anything more than a nuisance?

Hades waved a hand dismissively. "No matter. I trust you will be more prompt tomorrow." His tone left no room for argument and Nico did not offer him any.

"Well," Nico said after a long pause, "are you going to tell me what you brought me down here for?"

Hades hummed thoughtfully. "In a moment perhaps. We have visitors."

"Who-"

"Demigods," Hades said unconcernedly, "they entered the Underworld some time ago. Even as foolish as they are, they will find there way here any moment now."

"What do they want?" Nico asked. "Rachel didn't say anything about a quest."

"Then I would imagine," Hades said mildly, "that these particular demigods are not on a quest from your friend the Oracle."

"Then what-"

"I've said it before, boy," Hades interrupted, "you would do well to talk less and listen more. Wait, and you will find out more."

Nico scowled, and folded his arms. "I'm not a kid anymore," he argued, "I'm-"

"You are barely fifteen years old, Nico," said Hades, cutting him off again, "I have been alive for millennia. You will always be a child to me." Nico couldn't quite decide if that was Hades' attempt at parental affection or just another scolding, but kept quiet all the same. Hades gave a long suffering sigh, as if he was finally going to say something he had been trying to hold back. "Nico, I have been patient. I have been tolerant. I have allowed your outbursts and disrespect. You used to have some sense of propriety, perhaps that was due to your time at Westover Hall, or the society in which you spent your formative years. Regardless, I will not tolerate your disrespect any longer."

"Father-"

Hades held up a hand to silence him. "No. Enough. It is clear to me now that I have been far too lenient with you, Nico. I have deluded myself in thinking that you could possibly have behaved appropriately without strict instruction. It ends now. I will not have you questioning me at every turn. I do not want to break you, Nico, but if you force my hand, I will. As of this moment you may think of yourself as back in training. You are exactly where you started four years ago when you first came to this place."

"That is not fair!"

"Do you ever listen to yourself speak, boy?" Hades snapped. "You behave like a child, and you will be treated as one." He indicated the space just to the right of his throne. "Now you will stand there quietly until I have dealt with the half-bloods."

Nico could feel the blood rushing to his face. He hated being reprimanded, he hated that Hades was right even more.

"What if I refuse?" Nico demanded. "What if I go back to New York and stay there?"

"Then I would be forced to punish you." Hades' eyes hardened. "As a child of an elder god, Olympus watches you closely for any sign of aggression. There would be no reason for anyone to prevent me from bringing you back to the Underworld by force but, I can assure you, staying here willingly will be a much more pleasant experience. I do not take kindly to being disobeyed, Nico, you know this already. So I would advise you to hold your tongue and do as you are told!"

Nico bit the inside of his cheek hard. _Keep quiet,_ he told himself, _play your part. Just find out out what he wants._ Not meeting Hades' eyes, he climbed the short dais and took his place on Hades' right. To sit at a god's right hand was an honour, it represented one's value and position. That they were trusted and even respected by the god. To stand was almost insulting. Nico would stand at upright attention, hands clasped behind his back and mouth firmly shut, until Hades gave him an order. It was humiliating, to be relegated to little more than a servant in the palace he had once called his home.

Hades settled back into his throne and relaxed visibly. Nico could have sworn he heard him huff a muffled, "Good," as he did so.

Nico scowled. He hated it, he hated every moment that he was kept in the dark about his own future. Hades expected him to pander to his every whim without any thought to himself and Nico was getting sick of it. Just when he had finally begun to rebuild his life, Hades had to show up and screw him over. Though, he did have to admit that was refreshing to be back in the Underworld. Just a little bit. It had been his safe haven for years after Bianca had died and, even if he hadn't always been exactly happy, there was always a bed and a hot meal waiting for him if he needed it. That was something he hadn't had anywhere else. It had been the best home he had known in those years and abandoning it completely for a mortal or even regular demigod life didn't sit right with him.

He was torn from his thoughts when the tall, double doors swung inwards to reveal three figures. The kids looked absolutely terrified. They couldn't have been more than twelve. Nico almost felt sorry for them. The boy in the centre was rather shorter than his companions and dark skinned. He wore a dark blue denim jacket unzipped over his orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt and jeans with sneakers. A tall girl with a neat bob of brown hair stood to his right. She also wore jeans and a Camp Half-Blood shirt but had shed her jacket to tie around her waist. On the other side was another boy. He was dressed in jeans and a grey hoodie but Nico could see the tell-tale orange peeking out from under his collar. They bowed when they reached the centre of the room, and

Nico was glad that, as frightened as they looked, they at least had some sense of what to do.

"Lord Hades," said the boy in the centre, "we come with a request."

Hades cast a glance sideways at Nico. "Do you indeed? And what would you offer me in return for granting your request?"

The demigods shifted nervously, glancing at each other. Although Nico did find himself feeling sorry for them, he was also intrigued. How would they compensate for whatever they needed from Hades? Did they just expect him to give them whatever they wanted with no thought of payment? He never had understood this particular side of the demigod thought process, how the rules for Hades seemed so much different from the rules for the rest of the Olympians. One would never dream of going to Zeus or even Poseidon to demand favours. Why should anyone expect Hades to act any differently from them?

"We.. uh… we don't have anything to give," said the girl.

"What could we offer to the God of the Underworld?" piped the boy on the left.

"Ah…" Hades said thoughtfully, "that is the question, now, isn't it? Tell me, who is the leader of this quest?"

The boy in the middle cleared his throat. "I am, sir."

"And your heritage?"

"My name's Landen Mort," his eyes flicked down to the ground briefly, "my godly parent is Macaria."

Hades chuckled softly. "I thought I sensed something of the Underworld in you. I suppose your heritage is the reason you were chosen to lead this quest, hm? Yes, well, what is it that you want? Nico here," Nico tried not to flinch at the sound of his name, "tells me that there has been no prophecy from the Oracle."

"Lady Hecate sent us," said Landen. "The mist was weakened by the two wars and she needed demigods to fetch an ingredient for her so she can repair it. We need water from the River Lethe."

"Mmm," Hades mused. "Why you three? Why send you to my realm to ask this of me?"

The boy on the left shifted again. "That's because of me. My father insisted on a quest and I volunteered. My father is Dionysus," he added quickly, before Hades could ask. "Said something about 'the brats can make themselves useful.'"

"Of course, he is always whinging about the demigods in his charge. I will allow you to travel to the River Lethe and collect its water for Hecate and I will not ask for compensation for this favour. All that I require of you is that one of you is to stay behind. One of you will remain here as assurance that you will take only what I have allowed and nothing more. You will not disrupt my realm, you will travel unaided. This is the only deal that I will offer, do you accept it?"

Yes," Landen said immediately.

The girl elbowed him sharply. "Landen!" she hissed.

"And who will stay behind?" Hades asked, ignoring the girl.

"I will," said Landen.

"No you won't," argued the other boy. "You're a better fighter than me. You're going."

"Both of you stop it!" the girl snapped. "I'm staying and that's that. Landen's the best here, and, honestly Nate, you'd get yourself killed. I'm staying."

"Decide!" Hades ordered.

Nico clenched his fists. He knew exactly why Hades was doing this, it was fair but it was cold. The kids were terrified.

"I'm leading this quest," Landen said firmly, "I decide who stays. You two go on without me. Don't come back 'til you've delivered it to Hecate. I'll be fine." He turned to Hades before they had time to argue. "I'll stay."

"Very well. Nico." Nico looked up. "You know what to do."

He was about to protest that, no, he didn't know what to do but suddenly Hades' voice boomed inside his head. _Dungeons_.

Nico nodded and stepped down from the dais. He clapped Landen briefly on the arm and turned him around to face the door. "Come on."

"Landen," Nate begged, "don't be stupid-"

"The deal is made," Hades interrupted loudly, "it is too late to go back now."

Nico glanced back over his shoulder when he didn't hear footsteps behind him. Landen was caught between his friends and the door. He looked confused, his eyes darting between them.

"Come on," Nico repeated, exasperated. "Do you want that water or not?"

"..Yeah..." Landen breathed still looking distracted. He shook his head suddenly, and his expression cleared. "Sorry yeah."

He followed Nico with an air of forced confidence, holding his shoulders back and his chin up. Nico frowned as they exited. What was that?

The doors closed behind them with a slam and Nico privately wondered what Hades was up to with the other demigods. He wished he could double back and listen in on what Hades was saying but he couldn't afford to lose Landen in the palace or his father's new trust in him.

"What was that back there?" Nico asked, abandoning his thoughts of what was happening in the throne room.

"Sorry?" Landen looked up at him in confusion. He barely came up to Nico's shoulder, even as small as Nico was for his age. His eyes were wide and a warm chocolate brown, almost like Bianca's. Nico supposed he was kind of cute - in an adorable lost puppy kind of way.

"You zoned out back there, right before we left. What happened?"

Landen ducked his head and rubbed the back of his neck subconsciously. "Yeah... I do that. Just the ADHD I guess."

"Mm..." Nico hummed in agreement, though he didn't believe him for a second. Just another thing to add to his list of mysteries to be solved.

"You're Nico then?" Landen asked, obviously trying to change the subject. "As in the Nico?

Nico snorted. "What do you mean 'the Nico'?"

"The one everyone's been talking about. The guy who brought Athena Parthenos back from Greece."

"It wasn't just me," Nico corrected, "but yeah, I'm your guy."

"What are you doing down here then? I thought you were one of us?

"That would depend on who 'us' is."

"The demigods. Camp Half-Blood, you know, the good guys."

Nico stopped abruptly. "The 'good guys'? If that's you, who are the bad guys?"

"I don't know." Landen shrugged. "Monsters, titans, evil gods, the giants-"

"And I suppose Hades counts as one of your evil gods then, doesn't he?"

"Well-"

"What about your mother then? Is she evil too?"

"No! She's-"

"My half-sister," Nico finished. "Hades' daughter. She's worked for him way longer than I have. She just doesn't get her name dragged through the mud because Hades is there to take the blame. You have no idea what it's like for him, for everyone down here. So keep your trap shut about things you don't understand."

Nico had no idea where that had come from. Until that moment, he had been perfectly happy cursing his father's immortal soul to Tartarus and back. Maybe it was because it was someone else saying it. That he just couldn't stand the thought of anyone else smearing Hades' name. As if that was a privilege reserved just for him. He wondered idly if that was what it felt like to have a normal family: possessive, protective, loyal. It certainly felt remarkably similar to how he had felt about Bianca and how he did feel about Hazel. He could make fun and tease all he wanted but as soon as someone else stepped in he drew the line. Only he could mess with his family. If anyone else got close they were dead already.

"Fine, sorry," Landen mumbled, "I just didn't expect you to take his side."

"Well I am," Nico snapped. And I'm just as surprised as you are, he finished in his head. "Whatever, we're nearly there anyway. Just down these stairs."

They were halfway down a corridor, the only way to go was ahead towards a descending set of spiral stairs.

"Oh..." Landen frowned, feet shifting nervously.

"Scared?" Nico asked. "You'll be fine. Just cold and bored out of your mind for a couple of hours. Try to be quiet too, you'll piss off the guards. The ones down here are really unfriendly, wouldn't want to mess with them."

Nico knew he was being cruel, frightening the kid, but he couldn't help thinking he deserved it. It'd show him to be so arrogant, demanding things from gods without any thought of payment, making assumptions based off of nothing but rumours. Besides, the lesson wouldn't hurt him.

He gave Landen a slight nudge in the shoulder. "Go," he urged, "I do have other things to you know." Landen glanced at him and Nico recognized the flicker of fear in his eyes. He sighed. "Look, Landen. I've been in there before and it isn't exactly fun but it could be worse. Trust me on that. Just sleep it off or something, it'll be fine."

Landen's eyes flicked down to the floor and he bit his lip. "…I just- I don't-"

Nico sighed. "Alright what's your problem? Seriously, it's just cold. You'll live."

Landen took a deep breath. "…No. No. I'm fine. Let's go. I can do this."

"I'm going to find out why this freaks you out so much," Nico informed him. "You're a demigod, this is kind of tame for us."

"You know what? Shut up. I can do this. Just- just lead the way."

Nico frowned at him but conceded. He would have time to find out what was going on with Landen later. For now, he had bigger problems, namely, his father. Hades was still clinging to his secret and Nico was unsure of how he could pry his hands away. Going along with his plans was all well and good for regain some modicum of trust but it was unlikely to be enough. It hadn't worked when he was looking for information about his mother, after all. What he needed was a plan. A thought-out course of action that would actually bring him closer to the answers he needed rather than providing Hades with a pawn.

First step in his plan: gaining Hades trust. Part a) getting Landen safely into a cell.

Apparently he was coming up with his plan on the fly.

He started down the winding stairs, glancing over his shoulder only briefly to check that Landen was following. He stepped down behind Nico hesitantly, biting his lip and glancing around as if the very walls might reach out to grab him. Continuing down the stairs, Nico fought the urge to question him further. Really, a dungeon wasn't that bad compared to what most demigods went through in a lifetime, Landen's behavior was a bit of an overreaction.

They descended the stairs in silence. Anxiety seemed to be radiating off of Landen in waves. Nico could hear every time he stumbled or took in a sharp breath of air. Honestly, he was amazed that Landen wasn't a complete wreck by the time they reached the bottom. The corridor wasn't much of an improvement on the stairs. A solid brick wall flanked them on either side illuminated only by green torches flickering in their brackets. Skeletal guards were posted every couple of yards and jumped to attention when they passed. Nico had never considered who - or what - else Hades was keeping prisoner beneath his palace. At the end of the corridor there was a pair of empty brackets three feet apart, signalling an empty cell.

Nico jerked his chin at one of the nearby guards and the skeleton lurched forward to assist him.

"There's a demigod going in this one," he said, "so make sure he's getting something to eat. Something safe," he added quickly, "he's not staying down here after he's released. I'm holding you responsible for his well-being, so keep an eye on him. And," he fixed the guard with a stern glare, "this is my nephew, I won't be pleased if he's mistreated. Understand?"

The skeleton nodded vigorously, clattering in agreement.

"Right then." Nico turned his attention to Landen, who had been watching the interaction with mixed fear and fascination. "I still don't like you," Nico warned him, "but you'll probably be safer in here than out in the rest of the Underworld. I've got to report to my father and see what else he needs but I'll make sure you're being fed and that you'll be let out before the next half-century check."

"Half-century what?" Landen squawked.

"I'll see you soon."

And with that, Nico shoved him through the wall. Landen disappeared into the mass of black brick as easily as he would water and, in a rush of wind, the torches ignited.


End file.
